Snow's 60G Secret Predatory Sanctum 🐲🐉 - Shutting Down

[debbeach13]

Good morning 

[Snow_Phoenix]

It's 1.10 am and I can't sleep. Just noticed my LFS had this XL-sized chunky blenny come today in their vid updates and I'm torn between screaming and needing to bury my head in a pillow. 😭

 

 

Behind it is a type of sweetlips. For size comparison. 

 

So. Much. Want...! 

 

(But. Need. To. Resist. 😭)

[Snow_Phoenix]

Lily today. 🥰

 

 

 

 

Hawke perching on the rocks. 😊

 

 

 

Still growing:

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

A few shots this morning:

 

 

 

 

Aquilla has lost some weight. 😔

 

I'm not exactly sure why. I've reduced the amount of pellets I toss in lately because I've started adding Prime Reef Flakes to each feeding session. I'm unsure if this is the cause, or something else, but I'm worried for her. Her belly is a bit sunken and I can already see the hint of her lateral line. 😕

 

Here's a pic of her on 30/6/22, so you can see the difference in her general shape and weight:

 

 

My other fish seem okay for now, although the lions need some live food soon. 

 

I can't drive out for now - my right leg is badly swollen due to an abscess. Been taking antibiotics, but it's only gotten worse in the last few days. I had to stave off WCing my nano too. 😕

 

Looks like I'll have to go to the clinic to cut it open and drain it out, but if that doesn't work, then surgery at the hospital will be the final option. Problem with surgery is that it takes a godawfully long time to recover fully (talking about months to a full year until I'm pain-free), so I'll have to board as many animals as I can at my LFS. 

 

I'll probably lose half or my entire nano in the process. That's why I'm so reluctant to go to the hospital. 😔

 

But if push comes to shove, I'll have to go anyway. As for now, I'll suck it up and just wait to see if incision + drainage works. 

 

If I can wrangle it somehow, I'll try to WC my nano - but my leg folds if I stand too long, so I'm not sure if it's a good idea. 😕

 

As for this tank, I'll just run it on autopilot. If ever I'm stuck in hospital, I was thinking of putting some pellets in a pillbox - so everyday, my parents can open one compartment and drop in a day's worth of food in the tank for my fish. I'll do the same for my FW tanks too. 👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Hawke's lyretail is growing out quite well. 👍

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full PE:

 

 

Lily. 🥰

 

 

 

(And the leg is feeling better, in case anyone was wondering. On the road to recovery)

[Snow_Phoenix]

Small update:

 

Accidently broke off a few pieces of my pavona and forest fire digi while giving my nano a thorough clean up & WC today. 

 

Instead of throwing out the pieces, I just decided to stick it in this tank. I don't believe any of it will grow out or maintain its colors, but I was a bit curious to see *if it could. Figured no harm trying. 🤷‍♀️

 

This will still be a softy-dominant tank though. 

 

Also, I did frag some of my John Deere leptastrea from my nano, so I glued those frags to the single unoccupied LR ledge on the far right of the tank. I truly hope this one will take off and grow out. 

 

It almost did the first time, but my giant aiptasia (prior to its removal) stung those original frags and killed them. 😔

 

So here's to trying again. 

 

Zoas and palys grow incredibly slowly in this tank, but I suppose I can always add more of them everytime I frag my Zoa Garden from the nano, in the future. 👍

 

I haven't found a safe way to frag my merlettis in the nano yet. When I do, I'll add a few small heads to this tank and let it grow. 

 

Also need to prune my chaeto. 🤔

[Snow_Phoenix]

It glows! 👀

 

 

 

 

 

Taken using orange filter lens, under actinics. Corals closing up for the day. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Corals this morning:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Cleo:

 

 

Lily:

 

 

Lady:

 

 

Mollies:

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Lady and Lily. 🥰

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Good evening. 😊

 

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Moved the rainbow cynarina a little bit forward late last night. I think it looks happier to *not be in direct flow of my wavemaker:

 

 

 

 

My little lions: 🥰

 

 

 

 

Cleo foraging for pods:

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Good morning. 🌺

 

Chunky Foxy & puffy cynarina:

 

 

 

 

 

Not-so-chunky Cleo: 😕

 

 

Fuzzy pineapple tree coral:

 

 

Hawke the lyretail hawkfish:

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Dropped by the LFS and picked up some live ghost shrimp. We now have some happy lions with bulging bellies. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a happy hawkfish too:

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Corals are doing okay too. The softies are growing, the leptastrea has full PE and to my slight amazement, the pavona frag has actually begun to encrust to the LR:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need to reduce my frozen feedings though. Spotted a few cyano patches pop up on the sandbed a few days ago. Nothing that some quick maintenance will be able to fix, I think. 🤔

[Snow_Phoenix]

Throwback to this massive cynarina I once kept in this tank 2 years ago: 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Asterina. 😊

 

 

One of the mollies:

 

 

Aquilla:

 

 

Cleo:

 

 

Lady & Lily: 🥰

 

 

I was wrong about their estimated sizes few weeks back - it wasn't ~4". Since they were close to the glass, they're both actually around 3+" each. And can now devour 2 to 3 large live ghost shrimp in a single helping. 😊👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Pink-on-pink this morning! 😅

 

 

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Lily says hello! 😊

 

 

 

Foxy. 🥰

 

 

PJ. 😊👍

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Just hanging about: 😅

 

 

 

Lily:

 

 

Growing out:

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Hawke. 🥰

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

New bottle for the refugium! 🌱💦

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Tiny mollies are delicious. 😅

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Good morning. 🌺

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Accidently broke a whole bunch of sticks in the nano. Didn't know where else to place the fraglets, so...say hello to my new stick garden. 🤦‍♀️

 

 

Hawke's a pretty chill dude. Until Aquilla the clownfish attempted the mating dance with him yesterday. Then he was just confused as heck, and kept giving me the side-eye through the glass: 'Eh, help?!' 😅

 

 

I have no idea what went on in my tank yesterday. On second thought, I truly don't want to know. 🤦‍♀️

 

Lady & Lily are well-behaved:

 

 

 

And this tiny toadstool has increased in size a bit further:

 

 

^More neon polyps around the rim! 🥰